The Changing Of The Guard
by VeniVediViceroy
Summary: Yu Narukami must help the new Wild Card, a foreign exchange student from America, fight Shadows, max out Social Links, and combat a mysterious faceless entity.
1. Chapter 1: Foreign Fool

4/6/13

LATE NIGHT

Yu lied down in his bed, reflecting on the events back in Inaba. Had had nearly been a full year since he arrived in that town. Now he was back in Ota, his home city. He closed his eyes, and began to drift off into sleep...

and into the Velvet Room.

(_Dammit! Not again!_) thought Yu.

Igor chuckled.

"Hello Yu. It's been a long time, hasn't it? I have brought you here to tell you someone is going through an ordeal similar to the one you faced..."

Yu shrugged.

"Not my problem. But if he's stuck with only one Persona, he's S-O-L."

"Which is why he is now the owner of the Wild Card ability."

Yu, who had grabbed a can of soda from the minibar, turned his head and did a spit take.

"**WHAT?"**

Yu snatched the Compendium from Margaret's hands and flipped through the pages.

"What the hell? Every single page is blank!" he shouted.

"Not exactly...you still have 1 Persona..."

Yu flipped to page 1.

"**SERIOUSLY? I'VE ONLY GOT IZANAGI LEFT! AND HE'S SOMEHOW BEEN DEMOTED BACK TO LEVEL ONE!"**

_I apologize for disappointing you, Master Narukami _said Izanagi.

Igor chuckled again.

"Now that your journey is over, it is now time for you to mentor the new Wild Card."

Igor handed Yu a blank card. It began to glow, and then showed the image of a blond haired wearing a white dress shirt, sitting on a plane. There was a passport sticking from his shirt pocket.

"This is the new Wild Card. When you leave, he will enter here and sign his contract."

Yu groaned.

"Igor, I hate you..."

Igor chuckled once more. "Oh, well. That's your opinion."

Meanwhile, in the skies above Japan, an American teen was headed for the city of Ota, where he would spend the year as a foreign exchange student. It was very late, and the boy was tired.

(_An entire year spent overseas...what will happen?_)

The boy's eyes drooped, then closed...

He found himself in a private jet, with the interior completely colored blue.

A creepy looking man with a long nose and a beautiful woman dressed in blue sat across from him.

The old man smiled.

"Greetings. Welcome, to the Velvet Room..."


	2. Chapter 2: Signing Contracts

The boy blinked.

"Uh, hello." he said, speaking English.

The creepy old man smiled.

"Are you not curious about this place? About why you were called here?" the old man asked.

The boy shook his head.

"This a dream." said the boy. "If it weren't, I would be on the other airplane."

"Young man, while you are sleeping in your world," explained the old man, "You very much in a real place here. My name is Igor, and this is my assistant, Margaret."

The woman next to him said nothing.

_Wow, you're __**real **__friendly, _thought the boy.

"This place exists between dreams and reality, mind and matter." continued Igor. "Only those who have signed a contract-" Igor snapped his fingers and a piece of paper appeared before the boy-"can enter here and use the Velvet Room's services."

The boy picked up the contract, which read:

_I, the undersigned, have chosen my fate by my own free will and shall take full responsibility for my actions._

The boy pulled out a pen and signed his name:

_Isaac J. Baker_

Igor chuckled, and the contract disappeared.

"Excellent. Tell me, Isaac, do you believe in fortunetelling?" asked Igor, pulling out a deck of cards.

"No, I can't say I do." responded Isaac.

Igor waved his hand, and the deck of cards shuffled itself, and dealt out three cards.

"It's truly interesting." said Igor. "Each reading uses the same deck of cards, but the results are always different. The idea that three cards can tell what lies ahead is a fascinating concept."

Isaac shrugged. "Might as well try."

Igor smiled. "The first card represents the present: what is happening in the here and now."

The first card turned over, revealing an illustration of a crescent moon.

"Ah, the Moon Arcana, in the upright position. You will soon be faced with a tense psychological conflict, one that shall present you a question with no immediate answer."

The next card turned over, revealing the upside down illustration of a man riding a chariot.

"Hm, interesting. The Chariot Arcana is inverted. Normally, The Chariot means a battle that requires the control of opposites, and getting them to work together, in order to triumph. But it is reversed." Igor looked back up at Isaac. What do you think that means, Isaac?"

Isaac shrugged. He had no experience with tarot, but decided to give it a shot in the dark.

"It could mean that I won't be able to maintain control, and the proverbial Chariot will crash."

Igor laughed.

"Very good! A truly remarkable interpretation."

Igor looked back down at the card.

"The second cards represents a course of action you might take. The final card shall reveal the consequences of those actions..."

The final card turned over, showing a man lying on the ground, with ten blades embedded into his back.

Igor frowned.

"Oh dear."

Isaac suddenly got worried, even though he didn't believe in fortunetelling.

"What? What does it mean?" asked Isaac, with a hint of panic in his voice.

"The Ten Of Swords. The darkest card in the deck. This card represents absolute destruction and despair. If you fail to triumph in your struggles, you will truly suffer."

Isaac was quiet for a moment, then smiled.

"Then I won't fail." said Isaac.

Igor chuckled.

"Your willpower is truly something else."

Isaac's vision began to grow dark.

"It seems it is time to say farewell." said Igor. "But don't worry, we shall meet again..."

Isaac awoke, back in the passenger plane. The plane's PA dinged, then turned on, addressing them in Japanese:

"Attention, passengers," said the pilot's voice, while Isaac mentally translated it to English.

"We are now arriving in Ota. Please buckle your seatbelts and prepare for landing."

Isaac sighed. He was barely even in Japan and already weird things had happened to him.

Forty minutes later, Isaac was standing in the airport lobby, looking for the person who was supposed to pick him up. After looking around, he saw a man holding up a sign reading "Isaac Baker" (in English!). The man was of average build, with a scruffy goatee, and an expectant look on his face. He looked like he was in his early 40s.

Isaac approached the man.

"I'm Isaac Baker." said Isaac, switching to Japanese.

"Ah! Hello." said the man kindly. "I'm Junichi Kurosawa. I'll be your guardian for the year. Sorry for being late, my daughter needed a ride to go do something for her college classes."

"It's okay." said Isaac.

"C'mon, let's go. This airport is way too crowded." said Mr. Kurosawa.

After a short drive, Isaac and Mr. Kurosawa arrived at an ordinary looking house.

"Well, here we are. It isn't much to look at, but you what they say: home is where you hang your hat."

Isaac nodded, and began pulling his suitcases from the trunk of the car.

They headed inside, and Isaac set down his luggage for a moment.

"So, where will I be sleeping?" he asked.

"I've set up a room for you upstairs at the end of the hallway." answered Kurosawa.

Isaac bowed.

"Thank you, Kurosawa..."

Isaac paused, trying to remember how honorifics worked.

"...Kurosawa-chan?" finished Isaac, unsure of his choice in honoriffics.

Kurosawa suppressed a laugh.

"Not quite, Isaac." said Kurosawa. "_-chan_ is usually used to denote that the person you're speaking to is a female acquaintance."

Isaac buried his face in his hands.

"This is going be a difficult year..." he groaned.

"Don't sweat it! You'll get the hang of it." encouraged Kurosawa.

Isaac yawned. Riding on a plane to another continent could really wreak havoc on your sleeping rhythms.

"I think I'm gonna hit the sack." said Isaac.

"Good night, Isaac."

Isaac dragged his luggage upstairs. Deciding to try to contact his family back, Isaac pulled out his laptop, fired it up, and checked his email.

A message titled CANDIDATE'S INVITATION caught his eye. He opened it, and found a bunch of cryptic-looking ramblings:

'_YOU have been CHOSEN for THE OPERATOR'S GAME._

_Dealt 7 Cards, That Makes 8._

_EXPECT CONTACT SOON._

_Think beyond reality._

_This has merely been a game to you. No longer. We are coming for you. And you will remember fear.'_

Isaac shut off the laptop. He felt scared for a moment, but shrugged it off. Probably just some stupid spam letter. Isaac moved towards his bed and almost immediately fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3: Coffee Run

4/7/13

Isaac dragged himself out of bed after a long night of jet lag and surreal nightmares involving creepy forests. He headed downstairs, where he found Kurosawa having breakfast with a girl about 2 years older than Isaac, who had dark brown hair and was in a blouse and a pair of color-faded jeans.

"Morning, Isaac!" greeted Kurosawa. "This is my daughter, Hatsumi."

Hatsumi smiled at Isaac.

"M'rnin'..." mumbled Isaac. He yawned and stretched.

"Sorry I couldn't meet you yesterday." said Hatsumi. "Exam preparation can be a real bitc-"

"Hatsumi!" interrupted Kurosawa. "Language!"

"Oops." giggled Hatsumi. "Sorry."

Isaac rubbed his forehead, trying to think clearly. He brushed a stray lock of blond hair back with his hand.

"Do you guys have any coffee?" asked Isaac.

Hatsumi smacked her forehead.

"I KNEW there was something I needed to put on the grocery list! Darn it!"

Isaac sighed.

"Well, in that case, can I go find a coffee shop?" asked Isaac, looking at Kurosawa. "I'm pretty much incapable of thinking until I've had a cup or two."

Kurosawa laughed.

"As long as you stay in the city and get back here before sundown, you can go pretty much wherever you want." said Kurosawa.

Isaac nodded.

"Thank you, Kurosawa..."

Isaac paused, looking for the right honoriffic again.

"...sensei?"

Kurosawa shook his head. "I'm not your teacher, Isaac."

Hatsumi laughed, watching Isaac facepalm.

On the way to the local coffeehouse, Isaac suddenly became overwhelmed by the suspicion that someone was watching him. He quickly turned his head, carefully looking for any followers. He saw nothing but a small forest of skinny tress nearby.

Isaac decided that his imagination was laying tricks, and ignored the feeling.

Meanwhile, Yu was working as at the counter of the coffeehouse when a blond teen walked in.

Master Narukami! shouted Izanagi.

"What is it, Izanagi?" mentally asked Yu.

Isn't that the new Wild Card you're supposed to mentor?

Yu looked at the teen, who was examining one of the tables.

"It seems so." replied Yu.

"Hey. You must be the foreign exchange student." said Yu, addressing Isaac.

"Huh? How'd you know?" asked Isaac.

"Usually, people in Japan with blond hair are either foreign, or they dye their hair for fun."

Isaac gave a sheepish laugh.

"Well, so much for passing off as one of the locals!" joked Isaac.

Yu smiled.

"What'll it be?" he asked.

"One large caramel mocha, please." asked Isaac.

"Got it."

Yu went back to the barista to tell him the order, and Isaac suddenly felt the sensation of being watched return. Isaac shuddered.

Yu came back with Isaac's coffee.

"Here you go." said Yu, taking Isaac's payment.

_Isaac: Captchalogue Caramel Mocha._ thought Isaac, snickering at his own little private joke.

Yu paused, then spoke up:

"So, has anything weird happened to you, Mr..."

Yu didn't actually know Isaac's name, and was waiting for him to say the name.

"Isaac Baker." said Isaac. "And you are...?"

"My name is Yu Narukami. I'm a third year at Kimura High School."

"Oh really?" asked Isaac. "That's actually where I'm going."

Isaac took a sip of his mocha, then mentally yelped, wondering why he didn't wait for the coffee to cool down.

"To answer your question," continued Isaac. "No, not a whole lot."

Yu sighed. "Ah, well. Just be careful. There's a few troublemakers 'round here in Ota, so pick up a baseball bat or something you can use as a makeshift weapon."

Isaac wondered if this was the best conversation ot have in a public place.

"Uh...duly noted..." said Isaac. He headed for the door.

"See ya at school, Yu!" he said, leaving.

As he walked down, he nearly tripped on something.

"What the-?" mumbled Isaac, picking up the offending object: a crowbar.

Isaac remembered Yu's comment about improvised weaponry and grinned. He'd played a fair share of games, but none were so near and dear to his heart as _Half Life_.

"Nice..." commented Isaac, swinging the crowbar like a small sword. "If anyone tries to mess with me, I'll just go Gordon Freeman on them!"

Isaac stowed the crowbar in his pant leg, tucking the flatter end into his sock, and headed back for the Kurosawa residence.


	4. Chapter 4: School Days

4/8/13

Morning

Isaac walked to school when the feeling of being watched struck again. He turned around to check. Nobody there. But, he could've swore he saw some sort of dark blur out of the corner of his eye...

Isaac adjusted his school uniform as he stood in his new homeroom.

It was a dark gray blazer jacket, a white t-shirt, and a pair of slacks. For some reason, Isaac felt very awkward wearing the uniform, as if it didn't matter how much he looked like the other students, he'd still stick out like a sore thumb.

The teacher tried to make Isaac felt welcome. Normally, that would've helped, but the teacher tried just a little too much:

"Alright, everybody!" cheered the teacher, Mr. Yamada. "This is our new foreign exchange student, Isaac Baker. Let's give him a big Kimura High welcome!"

The responding silence of the classroom was absolutely overwhelming.

_Yikes, tough crowd._ thought Isaac.

Isaac took a seat and frowned. Making friends here was gonna be real tough from the looks of things.

"Psst. Hey. New guy."

Someone behind Isaac was whispering to him.

"Hm?"

Isaac turned around to see a boy about his age with unruly black hair and hazel eyes. The boy grinned.

"Hey. My name's Ichiro Takata. Nice to meet ya!"

Isaac smiled back. Maybe making friends here wouldn't be so...

"TAKATA! Leave the transfer student alone!" shouted Mr. Yamada.

…_.._difficult...

Lunchtime

Isaac sat down and began opening the bento box Kurosawa had given him when Ichiro sat down next to him.

"Hi!" said Ichiro.

"What's up?" asked Isaac.

Ichiro shrugged. "Not much really."

A brunette girl with dark brown eyes tapped Isaac on the shoulder. She was a bit on the short side: about 4'10", compared to Isaac's 5'6"

"Be careful." said the girl. "Ichiro's a serious moocher. Better keep your lunch guarded."

Ichiro sighed, withdrawing his hand.

"Miyoko," said Ichiro, grinning widely, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Isaac looked back down at his lunch.

"Hey, wait a minute...I had six pieces of sushi...why are there only 5?" shouted Isaac. He looked up at Ichiro, who had just finished scarfing down the stolen sushi. Ichiro gave Isaac a guilty smile.

"What the hell, man?" asked Isaac.

"What?" asked Ichiro. "I forgot my lunch! C'mon, a guy's gotta eat!"

The girl laughed. "I warned you."

Isaac said nothing, but moved further from Ichiro, giving him an accusing stare.

"My name's Miyoko Shibata." said the girl. "I'm in your homeroom."

"Nice to meet you, Miyoko." said Isaac. "Hopefully, you won't steal my lunch."

Miyoko laughed again. "Don't worry. Your sushi is in no danger from me."

After School

Isaac began heading towards the door when he heard the voices of three different girls.

"You want it?" laughed a mocking voice. "Come 'n' get it!"

"Please!" protested a quiet voice. "Give it back! What did I ever do to you?"

"You got some nerve saying that!" said a third voice. "You get to skip class while we get bored to death? To hell with that!"

Isaac came closer to the source of the voices, and observed what was happening:

Two girls were throwing a shoe back and forth over the head of a thin, frail looking blonde girl with icy blue eyes.

"Stop! Please! Give me my shoe back!" pleaded the blue-eyed girl.

Isaac reached into his messenger bag and pulled out his crowbar, mumbling a quote from Archimedes:

"Gimme a place to stand and with a lever..."

Isaac stepped forward, and used the hooked segment of the crowbar to snag the shoe from midair.

"...and with a lever I shall move the whole world." he finished.

The two girls stared at Isaac, holding a crowbar over his head, and they both ran off.

"T-Thank you." said the blue-eyed girl, staring at her feet.

"Hey, don't worry about it." said Isaac, handing the girl her shoe. "What's your name?"

Isaac put the crowbar back.

"I'm Rika Kawano. I'm in your homeroom class." said the girl.

"Nice to meet you, Rika!" said Isaac, giving her a kind smile. "Say, do you have any plans after school? I wanted to go study with someone..." Isaac mentally cursed at himself. Dumbest line ever!

Rika smiled.

"I'm sorry, but I actually have to run some errands. But thanks for the offer!"

Isaac shrugged.

"Oh, well. See ya tommorow."


	5. Chapter 5: Something Strange

4/9/13

After Lunch

Isaac slumped in his chair as he listen to the teacher ramble on and on about rationalizing denominators.

Ichiro leaned towards Isaac.

"Hey, wanna hang out after school?"

Isaac shrugged.

"Ehhh, sure, why not."

Ichiro grinned. "Cool!"

After School

Isaac and Ichiro met at Setoraru Mall, when Isaac bumped into a familiar gray-haired guy.

"Oh! Hey, Yu." said Isaac.

"Hello, Isaac-kun." said Yu.

"Wow, Isaac, your on a first name basis with Narukami-senpai?" asked Ichiro. "He's one of the most popular guys here!"

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Ichiro." laughed Yu.

"Uh...we were just on our way to go get some takoyaki." said Ichiro. "D'ya want to come with?"

"Sure," answered Yu, shrugging. "I've got nothing better to do."

Yu began following the two when they passed a tailor shop. The display case had three mannequins, one of them was a faceless mannequin in a business suit. Ichiro stopped to gawk at it.

"Dude..." mumbled Ichiro. "Am I the only one who feels really creeped out by that mannequin?"

Isaac looked at the mannequin in question, and suddenly felt overwhelmed by an unexplainable sense of dread. Isaac started having a coughing fit.

"Hey, Isaac, you got asthma or something?" asked Yu.

"No." coughed Isaac.

Ichiro suddenly got really quiet.

Isaac coughed some more, and sat down to catch his breath when Ichiro suddenly bolted off.

"Ichiro! What the heck?" shouted Yu.

Something's wrong, Master Narukami said Izanagi.

Yu and Isaac began chasing after Ichiro, who sprinted into a bathroom, and as Yu and Isaac caught up to him, he jumped into a mirror right before their eyes.

"Wh-what...what just..." stammered Isaac. This just busted his weirdness tolerance into a million pieces.

"That's nothing. I've gone through televisions." said Yu.

Isaac turned and gaped at Yu.

"Uh, excuse me, _what_ you just say?"

"Not important." replied Yu. "We gotta go find Ichiro. If my guess is correct, he's in a lot of danger."

"H-Hell no!" said Isaac. "I'm NOT jumping into a mirror!"

Yu sighed, picked Isaac up by the collar of his shirt, and tossed him into the mirror.

"AAAAAGH!" shouted Isaac, plunging throught the mirror. He felt like he was sinking through a warm pool of water.

Then, he felt himself land on hard ground.

"Oof!" grunted Isaac. He tried to stand up, and nearly did so when Yu landed on top of him and bounced off of Isaac.

"Owwwww..." groaned Isaac.

"Sorry about that." apologized Yu.

Isaac stood up and looked around: they were in what looked like a ruined city.

The sun was black, with a reddish-brown corona surrounding it, and the sky was an ominous red. The entire place was dead quiet.

"W-Where are we?" asked Isaac, totally bewildered.

"I'm not sure." answered Yu.

Isaac suddenly felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand straight up.

[HELLO, CONTESTANTS]

Isaac turned around, looking for the source of the voice.

"Who said that? Show yourself!" shouted Isaac.

[HEHEHE...]

"Grrr...WHERE'S ICHIRO?" screamed Isaac. He was starting to get angry.

A tall figure stepped out from the alley. He was dressed in a black business suit and a red tie. It was bald and pale-skinned, but what was most notable about it was its face -or lack thereof.

"W-What the hell is that?" asked Isaac.

[I AM THE OPERATOR] said the figure, speaking telepathically. [AND WELCOME, TO THE GREAT GAME...]

"Where's Ichiro?" asked Yu, preparing to summon Izanagi.

[HE CAME HERE BECAUSE HE WANTED TO. WHEN YOU PROVE YOURSELVES CAPABLE, I SHALL ALLOW YOU TO SEE HIM.]

"What are you talking about?" asked Isaac. "Make sense, dammit!"

[PEOPLE ARE DRAWN TO THIS PLACE BY THEIR SUPPRESSED EMOTIONS. THIS IS THE OTHERSIDE. IT REFLECTS THE FEAR AND THE MADNESS INSIDE THE MINDS OF ALL PEOPLE.]

The Operator snapped its fingers, and two black blobs with arms and blue masks materialized.

"Crap..." muttered Yu. "Shadows...!"

Yu was about to summon Izanagi when he suddenly felt his entire body freeze up. He saw The Operator was pointing one of its long pale fingers at Yu.

[PATIENCE. THIS IS ISAAC'S IDEAL.]

The Cowardly Mayas began approaching Isaac. Isaac staggered backwards, terrified and his mind reeling.

I am thou...

A voice rang out inside of Isaac's mind.

I am thou, and thou art I...open thy eyes, and awaken to thy power.

Isaac saw a mask materialize in his hand. It was blank, and began to glow.

Call forth and claim that which is yours!

Isaac smiled, staring down the two Mayas.

"Per..."

Yu tensed up. What would Isaac's Persona be like?

"...so..."

The Mayas stopped in their tracks, as if knowing what was about to happen.

"...NAAAAAAA!"

Isaac put the mask on, and was enveloped with heatless blue flame. He let out a scream as he felt his new power surge through him.

"GRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Isaac was gone when the flames subsided. In his place was a being with ash-gray skin, clad in leather armor and a tattered red scarf. The Persona spoke:

I AM THOU, AND THOU ART I. FROM THE SEA OF THY SOUL, I COMETH. I AM GILGAMESH, THE DEMIGOD KING. TAKE MY POWER, AND TOGETHER, WE SHALL MAKE A PATH TO GLORY!


	6. Chapter 6: Inner Demons

Yu smiled. Just like old times.

"GARU!"

Gilgamesh pulled out a bronze short sword and slashed the air, creating a wave of wind that battered the Maya backwards. Then, Gilgamesh's form shattered like glass, leaving Isaac in his place.

Yu materialized his card, summoning Izanagi.

"ZIO!"

Izanagi hoisted its naginata up into the air, and a bolt of lightning crashed down and finished off the injured Maya.

The other Maya waved its arms and Isaac felt himself being battered by a cluster of icicles.

"Gyuhh..." grunted Isaac, rubbing his now-aching shoulder.

Isaac whacked the Maya with his crowbar, and got it at just the right angle, allowing him to catch the Shadow's mask with the curved bit of the crowbar. Isaac smiled and laughed, wiggling the crowbar around the back of the Shadow's mask.

"Open sesame."

POP!

The mask fell off and the Shadow instantly melted into a reddish-black liquid.

The Operator slowly began clapping.

[WELL DONE. SPLENDID, INDEED]

Isaac scowled at The Operator.

"Where is Ichiro?"

[HE IS HERE]

Isaac turned to look around him, and saw Ichiro standing in an alleyway, watching the scene unfold.

"Ichiro!" yelled Isaac. "C'mon, man, we gotta get out of here!"

Ichiro stepped forward, and Isaac noticed his face and arms were covered with luminescent tattoo-like markings.

"GRRRRRRRAAAAAHHHH!" snarled Ichiro, charging at Isaac.

Ichiro tackled Isaac, and Isaac was sent flying backwards.

"Urgh..." grunted Isaac, picking himself up from the ground. "Ichiro...what the hell's gotten into you?"

"Rgggrah..." snarled Ichiro. Ichiro's palms burst into flame, and he hurled an Agi at Isaac.

"GYAH!" yelped Isaac, making sure he hadn't caught fire.

Yu charged at Ichiro, smacking him with the golf club.

"YU! What the hell!" shouted Isaac. "You're gonna injure him if you keep doing that!"

[YOUR FRIEND IS BEING POSSESSED BY HIS SHADOW. IN ORDER FOR HIM TO REGAIN CONTROL OF HIMSELF, YOU MUST FORCE THE SHADOW OUT OF HIM.]

Yu grimaced, tightening his grip on the golf club.

"This isn't gonna be easy..." said Yu.

Isaac smirked.

"Bring it on!"

As if he had tempted fate, Isaac suddenly found himself on the receiving end of another Agi.

"Gya!" shouted Isaac, clutching his shirt and hoping it didn't catch fire. He materialized his mask, turning into Gilgamesh again. Yu materialized his Persona card, smashing it in his fist. Izanagi sprang forward, naginata held high over its head.

Are you prepared, Gilgamesh? asked Izanagi.

FOOL! shouted Gilgamesh. I! AM A DEMIGOD! **KING! **I NEED NO PREPARATION!

Izanagi was taken aback by Gilgamesh's hot-blooded attitude.

Um, ahem, right. replied Izanagi.

Gilgamesh bounded towards the Possessed Ichiro, pulling out his sword and casting Garu.

"Rarrrgh..." snarled Possessed Ichiro. He stood up, charging at Isaac as he broke out of Gilgamesh's appearance. Ichiro swung his arm, knocking Isaac backwards. Izanagi hit Ichiro with a Cleave, followed by a Zio. Ichiro spasmed, then flopped to the ground. The markings disappeared, but some sort of black smoky mass emerged from Ichiro, swirling and shifitng in shape. Ichiro groaned and stood back up.

"Ugh, man, I'm sore...what happened?"

"**I screwed up, that's what." **said a voice like Ichiro's, except it was distorted.

Behind Ichiro, the swirling black cloud had taken shape as a golden-eyed duplicate of Ichiro.

"Wh-what the hell?" gasped Ichiro, stepping backwards.

"**I'm pathetic. I'm SICK AND TIRED of never achieving anything! I want to DO something I can be proud of! Screw everyone else, I just wanna feel important! "**

"W-who the hell are you to say crap like that?" yelled Ichiro.

The doppelganger laughed.

"**If I look like you, and I talk like you, then obviously, I must be you!"**

"NO! THERE'S NO FREAKIN' WAY YOU'RE ME!"

Yu groaned. Not this scenario again...

"**Hahahahaaa! You're a flipping dumbass! I'm me now..."**

The doppelganger became engulfed in a reddish-black aura, and transformed, turning into a tall imposing man clad in rusted armor, carrying a large torch that looked like its flame had sputtered out.

"**I am a Shadow, the true self, the deepest fears and darkest emotions...I'm gonna enjoy crushing YOU!"**

"Holy crap..." breathed Isaac, eyes widening.

"C'mon, we gotta defeat this thing!" shouted Yu, crushing his card in his fist. "PERSONA!"

Izanagi waved his naginata at Shadow Ichiro, and struck it with a bolt of lightning. The Shadow merely flinched. "Dammit..." groaned Yu. "Electricity isn't it's weakness."

"My turn!" shouted Isaac, a reckless grin on his face. "GILGAMESH!"

Isaac transformed into Gilgamesh, and launched a Garu at the Shadow. It flinched, wincing n pain.

"Dammit, I don't think we can hit any weaknesses." said Isaac.

"**You're hopeless! Destroying you will be waaay to easy!"**

The Shadow's torch suddenly became reignited, and a ball of flame sprang at Yu.

"Errgh!" grunted Yu. "Crap!" Yu cast a Rakunda on the Shadow, hoping to speed up the fight.

Isaac responded by casting a Tarunda on the Shadow.

Shadow Ichiro put up its arms in a defensive position.

Both Isaac began firing off Garus and Zios as fast as they could.

The Shadow's torch suddenly burst into a blindingly bright flame.

"**FLAME OF MISERY!"** howled Shadow Ichiro. The Shadow smashed the torch against the ground, and a circle of fire radiated outward, burning Isaac and Yu.

Isaac grunted. "C'mon, let's finish this fight!"

The duo of Persona users began firing off Garus and Zios, hitting as hard and fast as possible. The Shadow fell to its knees.

"**No...how?"**

The Shadow was surrounded by the reddish-black aura from before, and reverted to its humanoid form. Ichiro's Shadow just stared at the person it had been born from.

"C'mon, Ichiro!" yelled Yu. "If you don't accept your Shadow, it'll go berserk again!"

"B-but I-I...oh, alright!" yelled Ichiro. "You're a part of me! You're me. alright!"

The shadow nodded, then in a burst of blue light transformed. In the Shadow's place was a man in bronze armor carrying a crude iron staff and an ornately carved wooden baton. It feet were encased in boots made of hardened clay.

I am thou, and thou art I. said the figure. I am Enkidu, the man that the gods shaped from clay.

The Persona disappeared, and Ichiro turned to face Yu and Isaac.

"So, this is my Persona, huh?" asked Ichiro.

[WELL DONE]

Isaac turned around to see the Operator watching the scene unfold.

[YOU HAVE PASSED THE ENTRY CHALLENGE.] said The Operator. [NOW, THE TRUE GAME BEGINS. WHENEVER SOMEONE IS POSSESSED BY THEIR SHADOW AND BROUGHT INTO THE OTHERSIDE, YOU WILL HAVE 11 DAYS TO RESCUE THEM, OR THEY WILL DIE.]

"And what makes you think we'll play this game!" yelled Ichiro, freaking out at the sight of the Operator.

"We accept terms of the game." said Isaac. "What? Are you serious?" protested Ichiro.

[VERY WELL. LET THE GAMES BEGIN...]

The Operator disappeared. Ichiro bit his lip. "Uhhhhh...what just happened?"

Isaac shrugged. "That's up to us to figure out."

He turned to see a window behind him,looking out onto the bathroom from the mall.

"I think that's the way back." said Isaac. "Let's go."

The trio climbed through the window, finding themselves back in the men's restroom once again.

"So...that..._thing..._said that we're supposed to rescue people as part of a game..." stated Ichiro, trying to wrap his head around what had just happened. "So does it expect us to actually play this game?"

"We won't just play the game." said Isaac, grinning. "We are going to WIN it."

SMASH!

Time seemed to stand still for Isaac as he saw the vision of a card depicting a man followed by a dog about to walk off a cliff top appear in front of him.

_Thou art I and I am thou. Thou hast established a new bond._

_It brings thee closer to victory._

_Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Fool Arcana._

Ichiro looked at his cell phone. "Yikes! It's getting late, I gotta go or my parents are gonna freak. See ya!" With that, he bolted off.

Yu looked at Isaac. "You ready to do this? It's not gonna be easy."

Isaac nodded. "Yeah. I can't run away from this."

That night, Isaac lied in his bed, thinking about what had happened that day. Why did he get a Persona? What was so special about him? Questions filled the teen's brain, and trying to make sense of them all made him feel tired. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them, he was back in the Velvet Room.

"Welcome back." said Igor, grinning.

"Please tell me you're gonna explain what's going on?" asked Isaac.

Igor smiled. "Ah, so you remember our last meeting. Very good!"

Margaret turned to look at Isaac. "This place is one where only those who have made the contract can enter. You heard the call to awaken and chose to follow the voice, awakening to your power." Isaac materialized his mask. "You mean this, right?" Igor smiled. "Yes. Now, hold on to this." A blue key appeared in front of Isaac's eyes. "From this night forth you will be a guest in the Velvet Room. Your destiny will require you to hone your power, and to do that, you will need our assistance. Now, look inside yourself. The persona you acquired, you can think of it as a facade of resolve to face life's hardships. Your Persona ability, however, is different: it is like the number zero. Empty, but holding infinite potential. Which is why Gilgamesh, the Persona that answered your call, is part of the Fool Arcana." Isaac stared at Igor in disbelief and confusion. "So...I'm a Fool? Well, that'll do wonders for my self-esteem." deadpanned the teen. Igor smiled, chuckling. "The power of Persona is the ability to control one's own heart. And the heart is made stronger through bonds. As you form bonds by becoming more involved with others, your own Social Links will gradually develop with others. The power of these Social Links will determine the abilities of your Persona." Isaac sucked on his teeth in thought. "So, when I make friends, I get stronger?" Margaret spoke up: "Your Social Links are necessary for more than just power: At times, they will illuminate the path to the victory you desire." So if I want to win this Game, thought Isaac, I need to make these Social Links. "Where do you think the power of the Wild Card will take you?" asked Igor, chuckling. "I look forward to where this flight will take you."

The vision of the blue-draped private jet dimmed, and Isaac found himself looking at the ceiling of his bedroom.

He sighed. "What the hell have I gotten myself into?"

4/10/13

During Class

"To conclude our discussion on comma splices I'll pick a kid at random and ask him a question and call it a day. Which of these is NOT a comma splice? Hmmm….Isaac?"

Isaac bolted up to attention, looking at three sentences written on the board:

1.I have quit drinking alcohol, at a social gathering, I always choose to have fresh juice.

2.I feel terribly unwell, I still think I should go to work.

went out to buy bread, eggs, and breaded eggs.

Isaac scratched the back of his head in thought. "Number 3?" The answer ended as a question, as if he was not a hundred percent sure of himself. He felt relieved when the teacher smiled and nodded. "Correct." Isaac smiled as he sat back down.

Lunchtime

Isaac, Yu, and Ichiro sat down to eat lunch together.

"So, you guys want to go back through the mirror today?" asked Isaac.

"I dunno." said Ichiro. "I'm not feeling all that great about it."

"Maybe tomorrow." said Yu. Miyoko and Rika walked up to their table. "May we sit here?"asked Miyoko.

"Sure." said Isaac. '' C'mon, Social Link, pleeeeease. '' thought Isaac

''Calm yourself, Lord Isaac.'' intoned Gilgamesh. '' **Lord** Isaac?'' repeated Isaac, surprised by the title his Persona had given him.

''….. I was trying to be respectful.'' said Gilgamesh

'' Just 'Isaac' will suffice, Gilgamesh.'' said Isaac

''Yessir, Just-Isaac.'' replied Gilgamesh, chuckling softly.

Isaac mentally facepalmed.

"I've never seen you in any of my classes." said Miyoko. looking at Yu.

"That's because I'm an upperclass member." explained Yu. Miyoko looked at someone approaching. "Uh oh…here comes trouble." she muttered.

Ichiro turned around. "What are you talking abou- OH. SHIT."

Ichiro cowered in his seat. Isaac lifted an eyebrow, looking at the approaching student.

"Trouble wears a hoodie sweatshirt, thin-cut jeans, and a pair of headphones?"

Ichiro pulled Isaac down into a slumped position.

"Dude, that's Eiji Watanabe! He's one of the most feared people in town! I've heard rumors that he can kill a man with just his skateboard."

"That's ridiculous." said Miyoko. "He's just a poser. And an asshole."

Eiji was getting closer to the table.

Isaac suddenly felt terrified by the oncoming teen. The guy gave off an aura of "Screw With Me And You Will Die"

Eiji stopped, looked at the group, and said:

"Miyoko. The teacher sent me to give you the student planner you dropped in class."

"Fine." snapped Miyoko, snatching the planner from Eiji. "Y'know, you don't have to be such an insufferable prick."

Eiji paused, looking down at his skateboarding shoes, then back at Miyoko. He blurted something out that caught the whole cafeteria's attention

"I wouldn't come across as a prick if you didn't forget your crap like some flighty broad!"

''Funny.'' thought Isaac. ''I think I just heard a pin drop.''

Miyoko slowly stood up.

"Oh god…" gasped Ichiro. "Someone's about to die here…."

Miyoko walked up to Eiji, scowled, and….

''As Yosuke would say, Eiji's gonna take a crit to the nads.'' thought Yu.

SLAP!

Miyoko smacked Eiji across the face with her open palm, and stormed out.

"Uh…" said Rika. "I'm gonna go check up on her." She stood up and began to go after Miyoko.

"Dude…" said Yu, standing up and looking Eiji square in the eyes. "Not. Cool." Yu left.

Ichiro just left, trying to save himself.

Isaac sat and said nothing, watching Eiji stand there.

Eiji twirled his shaggy black hair in between his fingers.

"Dammit….I need to think more about what I say…" sighed Eiji, walking away.

After School

"Hey, Isaac." called Ichiro. "Want to go through the mirror today?" asked Ichiro. Isaac shook his head. He was trying to start forming up Social Links today. "I got stuff to do, Ichiro." Ichiro looked bit crestfallen. "Oh, OK. Maybe some other day." Ichiro left, and Isaac gathered his books. He needed to speak to Yu.

Isaac found Yu on the second floor of the school. The ex-Wild Card looked over at Isaac. "So, made any Social Links?" asked Yu. "Just the Fool Arcana." answered Isaac. Yu took a sharp intake of breath. "You need to start joining clubs." Isaac lifted an eyebrow. "Clubs? Well, that was a random statement." Yu chuckled and shook his head. "I was in your position once: I had a contract with Igor, and had to do Social Links. Trust me, if you join clubs, you'll find your Social Links." "Oh, alright then." said Isaac. "So, you got your Persona before I did?" Yu nodded. "A year ago. I had to use my Persona to stop a serial killer." Isaac's eyes grew wide. "That must be some story." said Isaac. "You'll have to tell me it one day."

Yu smiled. "We'll see."

SMASH!

Isaac practically jumped at the sound of breaking glass. He saw a vision of a card depicting a man and a dog playing together.

_Thou art I and I am thou. Thou hast established a new bond._

_It brings thee closer to victory._

_Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Pierrot Arcana._

"...Dude. We just Social Linked." said Isaac. Yu raised an eyebrow. "What Arcana?" "Pierrot."

_That_ didn't sit well with Yu. He remembered the last guy he met that was a Pierrot...

"Well, better start looking for clubs to join." said Isaac. "See ya later, Yu-senpai!" "Take care!" said Yu, who was now rather concerned about himself. Pierrot Arcana...this did not bode well in Yu's mind.

"Find a club...gotta find a club..." muttered Isaac as he walked around the school. Catching a glimpse at a poster for the Literature Club. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained." said Isaac, a small smile crossing his face as he headed for the library, ready to sign up.

Upon arriving at the school library, he found it...surprisingly empty. Nobody was there studying, or loafing around, or...anything, really. In fact, there was only one person there: a girl. She had glasses, dark hair, brown eyes, and a rather cute face, in Isaac's opinion. She was reading a Japanese translation of "Beyond Good and Evil" by Friedrich Nietzsche. Isaac approached the girl. "Uh, this is where the Literature Club meets?"

The girl looked up from her book and just stared at Isaac. Her eyes seemes cold all of a sudden. Isaac shivered. "M-my name's Isaac Baker. What's yours?" His question was met with silence.

The girl did not seem to appreciate the foreign student's company. "Nietzsche, eh? I prefer Rosseau, myself, but that's just my opinion." To be honest, Isaac had never actually read anything by Nietzsche OR Rosseau, he just knew they were both philosophers. "So, uh...what should I do?" The girl was now glaring at him. Even Gilgamesh had retreated into a far corner of Isaac's mind, intimidated by this silent young girl.

"See those books over there?" asked the girl, pointing at a pile of haphazardly stacked books. "Put 'em back."

Isaac got the distinct impression that this was a girl he didn't want to upset.

"Um, sure..." said Isaac, sounding defeated. He went over to the pile of books and began reorganizing them. He continued the task for a good twenty moments before the girl sighed and looked at him. "Kyomu Monto."

Isaac turned towards the girl. "Eh?"

"You had asked me to tell me your name, didn't you? My name is Kyomu Monto."

"Oh. Nice to meet you, Kyomu!" said Isaac, smiling. Kyomu just sighed and turned back to her book.

SMASH.

The vision of a card depicting a yellow bird, a blue chalice, a red triangle that Isaac swore looked like the Triforce, and a gray square appeared before Isaac.

_Thou art I and I am thou. Thou hast established a new bond._

_It brings thee closer to victory._

_Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Temperance Arcana._

Isaac didn't really feel like he formed a bond with Kyomu, but just merely got her to acknowledge his existence.

"Oh. It's getting late. I should go home." said Kyomu, not sounding particularly enthusiastic.

"See ya." said Isaac, getting ready to head home.

Late Night

Back at the Kurosawa house, Isaac tried sticking his head through the bathroom mirror. What he saw on the other side was a decaying version of the bathroom.

"Interesting." said Isaac. "A mirror here leads to its Otherside equivalent."

Perhaps the real world and the Otherside co-exist in separate levels of reality? guessed Gilgamesh.

Isaac pulled back out of the Otherside into the normal bathroom.

"Maybe…."

This was all too confusing for him.

[A/N] So, yeah, things are starting to pick up! Kyomu is not my own character: she's a character in a Persona forum roleplay. I'm using her with her creator's permission. Thus far, Isaac has created the following Social Links:

-Fool Arcana (The Otherside Rescue Team): Rank 1

-Pierrot Arcana (Yu Narukami): Rank 1

-Temperance Arcana (Kyomu Monto): Rank 1


End file.
